YMCA to open new Holmes County child care center May 11

A new child care center is set to give Holmes County parents a closer option for infant and preschool care, with the Holmes County Y Learning Academy opening May 11 at NewPointe Church’s Millersburg campus, 8882 OH-39 in Millersburg.

The YMCA of Wayne County plans to serve children ages 6 weeks to 6 years at the new academy, a range that matters for working parents who need dependable care for babies, toddlers and preschoolers in one place. In a county where child care remains one of the biggest barriers to work, the opening gives families a specific date and a local address instead of another promise that might arrive someday.

The need is real. One reporting project found Holmes County has fewer than 17 child care spots for every 100 toddlers, a shortage that leaves many parents juggling irregular shifts, farm schedules and longer commutes just to keep child care in place. The new Holmes County Y Learning Academy is intended to ease that pressure by adding another licensed center in a location many families already know well.

NewPointe’s Millersburg campus has become a recognizable community site in the village, and its church programming already serves children from birth through fifth grade. That makes the campus a practical fit for an early learning center that needs to be easy to find, easy to reach and close enough to serve families from Millersburg and surrounding townships.

Holmes County Department of Job and Family Services says it helps eligible parents who are working or in school pay part of the cost of child care, and it maintains a current list of licensed and certified providers in the county. Ohio’s child care search tool also lets families compare providers by location, hours, services, licensing status and Step Up To Quality rating, giving parents a way to line up options before the May 11 opening.

The new Holmes County center is part of a broader YMCA of Wayne County child care network that already serves children ages 6 weeks to 14 years and offers before- and after-school programming in Orrville, Smithville, Wooster and Dalton. Its Wooster Learning Academy lists preschool child care director Lauren Grifo and assistant director Audrey Fry, with hours of 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, a schedule that shows how the organization tries to match child care with working-family demands.